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John Marshall Girls Regroup, Down Brooke

Frohnapfel leads way with a team-high 23

WELLSBURG — Brooke could not sustain its hot start against rival John Marshall.

The Bruins girls controlled the first six minutes, but the remainder of the night belonged to John Marshall as it led by as many as 15 points in the second half en route to a 62-50 victory on Wednesday night inside the Brooke Wellness Center.

The Bruins led 16-8 with 1:55 left in the first quarter, but the Monarchs turned things around and outscored the hosts, 26-12, the rest of the way in the first half to build a 34-28 lead at halftime.

“We just made some young mistakes,” Brooke (2-1) coach Ryan Scherich said. “I don’t want to say mistakes, but did some bad things. We made a bad pass here and there, and we did not grab rebounds. We gave them second-chance opportunities. They hurt us on the boards. We were not strong with the ball when it came off of the glass.”

Brooke led 16-11 after the first quarter, but John Marshall outscored it, 23-12, in the second quarter to take a six-point lead at halftime.

“They jumped on us early,” John Marshall (2-1) coach Brock Melko said. “Our full-court press was not as effective as I thought it would be. They deserve credit for playing well moreso than us not playing well. They were ready to go.

“We dug ourselves a hole in the first quarter and we had to regroup.We had to regroup.”

Seven players scored for the Monarchs, three of which finished in double digits. Grace Fronapfel finished with a team-high 23 points, while Avery Derrow delivered 11 points and Shay Straughn netted 10 points.

“We were getting open looks but we were not playing well on defense,” Melko said. “I was more concerned about our defense than I was our offense. We were not playing well on defense. We did not slide our feet on defense. We committed some dumb fouls. We decided to focus on our half-court defense as compared to our full-court defense.”

Five players scored for the Bruins — in double figures. Hope Bowman netted a team-high 23 points, while Ashley Arca added 12 points.

The Monarchs used the 3-pointer to their advantage in the second quarter as they hit three to gain an advantage.

“We have improved a lot,” Scherich said. “We have improved over the last couple of seasons, and it has shown. We get after it in practice. The girls push each other. We are a better basketball team.

“We lost our defensive assignments a few times. The kids played hard. They played all out. We are going to use this game. We are going to learn from this, and we are going to get better as a team as a result of it.”

John Marshall outscored Brooke, 19-12, in the third quarter to take a 53-40 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bruins outscored the Monarchs, 10-9, in the fourth to account for the final score.

“John Marshall did what they do,” Scherich said. “We turned the ball over on the offensive end and not against their press. The past couple of years, we would have thrown the ball away 20 or 30 times against them. I don’t think they got a single point off of a steal off of their press.

“The girls stepped up. They will learn from their mistakes.”

Brooke is scheduled to play Saturday at Harrison Central. The JV game is scheduled to start at noon.

“Coach Scherich has Brooke going in the right direction,” Melko said. “They had a freshman and a sophomore combine for 35 points. They are much improved. Coming up here, we knew they were improved, and they are a little better than I thought. They are set up for success this year and down the line.”

John Marshall is slated to play again Monday night at Cambridge.

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